Ben Summerskill
Encyclopedia
Ben Jeffrey Peter Summerskill OBE
(born 6 October 1961, Kent) is a British
businessman
and journalist
, who is the Chief Executive of the UK
-based Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual equality organisation Stonewall
, now the largest gay equality body in Europe. He has a lesbian
twin sister, Clare, who is a performer.
, where he held a scholarship, and Merton College, Oxford
, where he was an Exhibitioner (holder of a junior scholarship) but which he left after two years without taking a degree. Summerskill evidently disliked Oxford. He later wrote in The Guardian
: "I still recall being struck dumb on being shown, as an undergraduate, a note from an Oxford tutor to a successful candidate's father: 'Many thanks for lunch, and the trip in the Rolls.' "
His first career was in the restaurant trade. He was Operations Director from 1987 to 1990 with Kennedy Brookes, by then a publicly-quoted hospitality company, responsible for 300 staff and an £18m turnover at the age of 26. Becoming a journalist in 1990, he rose to the position of Assistant Editor of The Observer
newspaper which he joined in 2000 after having worked with Peter Hitchens
and Peter Oborne
as Media Editor for Daily Express
editor Rosie Boycott
, and the London Evening Standard
under editor and mentor Max Hastings, who like him had left Oxford after two years ,and other magazines.
Summerskill was a Labour
councillor for the Westbourne Ward of Westminster City Council
from 1994 to 1998.
He succeeded former Director Angela Mason
as Chief Executive of Stonewall in early 2003, expanding its work from parliamentary lobbying into other fields including workplace equality and campaigning against homophobia in schools. He led successful campaigns for repeal of Section 28
of the Local Government Act, the introduction of Civil Partnership for lesbian and gay people in the UK and the introduction of 2007 protections against discrimination in the provision of "goods and services", covering areas from healthcare and housing to hotels and holidays. He also led a successful parliamentary campaign in 2007-2008 for introduction of a criminal offence of incitement to homophobic hatred and a campaign in 2009-2010 to enable gay people to celebrate civil partnerships in religious premises. He also restored Stonewall to financial good health after a number of very precarious years. (Its turnover was £1.3m in 2003 and £3.8m in 2010, with staff numbers rising from 21 to 60.)
Under his direction Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme, promoting good practice among major UK employers, has grown from 35 to 600 members, employing 5.5 million people between them, ranging from IBM and Tesco to all of Britain's armed services and MI5. Stonewall's Education for All programme, launched in 2005 to help tackle homophobic bullying in Britain's schools, is supported by 70 major teaching and children's organisations.
In 2006, Summerskill was appointed a Commissioner on the Britain's new Equality and Human Rights Commission. He had for three years been a member of a Steering Group advising the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on establishing the Commission, which has statutory powers for the first time to promote equality for lesbian and gay people. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. He was appointed to the committee of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2009. In 2010 he was a finalist as Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2011 he was shortlisted as Britain's Most Admired Charity Chief Executive in the Third Sector Awards.
In July 2009 Summerskill resigned as an EHRC commissioner citing differences over leadership with its chair Trevor Phillips.
Five other commissioners resigned at the same time.
His grandmother (Baroness) Edith Summerskill and his aunt (Dr) Shirley Summerskill
were both Labour
Members of Parliament
and government ministers. Dr Edith Summerskill, a former Chairman of the UK Labour Party, was an early advocate of Britain's free National Health Service and a vocal campaigner for women's equality. Shirley Summerskill helped introduce the UK's Sex Discrimination Act
, as a Home Office (Interior) minister.
Ben Summerskill is an occasional contributor to The Guardian
, The Independent on Sunday
, The Observer
, The Times, Time Out and other publications.
Ben Jeffrey Peter Summerskill OBE
(born 6 October 1961, Kent) is a British
businessman
and journalist
, who is the Chief Executive of the UK
-based Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual equality organisation Stonewall
, now the largest gay equality body in Europe. He has a lesbian
twin sister, Clare, who is a performer.
, where he held a scholarship, and Merton College, Oxford
, where he was an Exhibitioner (holder of a junior scholarship) but which he left after two years without taking a degree. Summerskill evidently disliked Oxford. He later wrote in The Guardian
: "I still recall being struck dumb on being shown, as an undergraduate, a note from an Oxford tutor to a successful candidate's father: 'Many thanks for lunch, and the trip in the Rolls.' "
His first career was in the restaurant trade. He was Operations Director from 1987 to 1990 with Kennedy Brookes, by then a publicly-quoted hospitality company, responsible for 300 staff and an £18m turnover at the age of 26. Becoming a journalist in 1990, he rose to the position of Assistant Editor of The Observer
newspaper which he joined in 2000 after having worked with Peter Hitchens
and Peter Oborne
as Media Editor for Daily Express
editor Rosie Boycott
, and the London Evening Standard
under editor and mentor Max Hastings, who like him had left Oxford after two years ,and other magazines.
Summerskill was a Labour
councillor for the Westbourne Ward of Westminster City Council
from 1994 to 1998.
He succeeded former Director Angela Mason
as Chief Executive of Stonewall in early 2003, expanding its work from parliamentary lobbying into other fields including workplace equality and campaigning against homophobia in schools. He led successful campaigns for repeal of Section 28
of the Local Government Act, the introduction of Civil Partnership for lesbian and gay people in the UK and the introduction of 2007 protections against discrimination in the provision of "goods and services", covering areas from healthcare and housing to hotels and holidays. He also led a successful parliamentary campaign in 2007-2008 for introduction of a criminal offence of incitement to homophobic hatred and a campaign in 2009-2010 to enable gay people to celebrate civil partnerships in religious premises. He also restored Stonewall to financial good health after a number of very precarious years. (Its turnover was £1.3m in 2003 and £3.8m in 2010, with staff numbers rising from 21 to 60.)
Under his direction Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme, promoting good practice among major UK employers, has grown from 35 to 600 members, employing 5.5 million people between them, ranging from IBM and Tesco to all of Britain's armed services and MI5. Stonewall's Education for All programme, launched in 2005 to help tackle homophobic bullying in Britain's schools, is supported by 70 major teaching and children's organisations.
In 2006, Summerskill was appointed a Commissioner on the Britain's new Equality and Human Rights Commission. He had for three years been a member of a Steering Group advising the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on establishing the Commission, which has statutory powers for the first time to promote equality for lesbian and gay people. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. He was appointed to the committee of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2009. In 2010 he was a finalist as Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2011 he was shortlisted as Britain's Most Admired Charity Chief Executive in the Third Sector Awards.
In July 2009 Summerskill resigned as an EHRC commissioner citing differences over leadership with its chair Trevor Phillips.
Five other commissioners resigned at the same time.
His grandmother (Baroness) Edith Summerskill and his aunt (Dr) Shirley Summerskill
were both Labour
Members of Parliament
and government ministers. Dr Edith Summerskill, a former Chairman of the UK Labour Party, was an early advocate of Britain's free National Health Service and a vocal campaigner for women's equality. Shirley Summerskill helped introduce the UK's Sex Discrimination Act
, as a Home Office (Interior) minister.
Ben Summerskill is an occasional contributor to The Guardian
, The Independent on Sunday
, The Observer
, The Times, Time Out and other publications.
Ben Jeffrey Peter Summerskill OBE
(born 6 October 1961, Kent) is a British
businessman
and journalist
, who is the Chief Executive of the UK
-based Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual equality organisation Stonewall
, now the largest gay equality body in Europe. He has a lesbian
twin sister, Clare, who is a performer.
, where he held a scholarship, and Merton College, Oxford
, where he was an Exhibitioner (holder of a junior scholarship) but which he left after two years without taking a degree. Summerskill evidently disliked Oxford. He later wrote in The Guardian
: "I still recall being struck dumb on being shown, as an undergraduate, a note from an Oxford tutor to a successful candidate's father: 'Many thanks for lunch, and the trip in the Rolls.' "
His first career was in the restaurant trade. He was Operations Director from 1987 to 1990 with Kennedy Brookes, by then a publicly-quoted hospitality company, responsible for 300 staff and an £18m turnover at the age of 26. Becoming a journalist in 1990, he rose to the position of Assistant Editor of The Observer
newspaper which he joined in 2000 after having worked with Peter Hitchens
and Peter Oborne
as Media Editor for Daily Express
editor Rosie Boycott
, and the London Evening Standard
under editor and mentor Max Hastings, who like him had left Oxford after two years ,and other magazines.
Summerskill was a Labour
councillor for the Westbourne Ward of Westminster City Council
from 1994 to 1998.
He succeeded former Director Angela Mason
as Chief Executive of Stonewall in early 2003, expanding its work from parliamentary lobbying into other fields including workplace equality and campaigning against homophobia in schools. He led successful campaigns for repeal of Section 28
of the Local Government Act, the introduction of Civil Partnership for lesbian and gay people in the UK and the introduction of 2007 protections against discrimination in the provision of "goods and services", covering areas from healthcare and housing to hotels and holidays. He also led a successful parliamentary campaign in 2007-2008 for introduction of a criminal offence of incitement to homophobic hatred and a campaign in 2009-2010 to enable gay people to celebrate civil partnerships in religious premises. He also restored Stonewall to financial good health after a number of very precarious years. (Its turnover was £1.3m in 2003 and £3.8m in 2010, with staff numbers rising from 21 to 60.)
Under his direction Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme, promoting good practice among major UK employers, has grown from 35 to 600 members, employing 5.5 million people between them, ranging from IBM and Tesco to all of Britain's armed services and MI5. Stonewall's Education for All programme, launched in 2005 to help tackle homophobic bullying in Britain's schools, is supported by 70 major teaching and children's organisations.
In 2006, Summerskill was appointed a Commissioner on the Britain's new Equality and Human Rights Commission. He had for three years been a member of a Steering Group advising the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on establishing the Commission, which has statutory powers for the first time to promote equality for lesbian and gay people. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. He was appointed to the committee of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2009. In 2010 he was a finalist as Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2011 he was shortlisted as Britain's Most Admired Charity Chief Executive in the Third Sector Awards.
In July 2009 Summerskill resigned as an EHRC commissioner citing differences over leadership with its chair Trevor Phillips.
Five other commissioners resigned at the same time.
His grandmother (Baroness) Edith Summerskill and his aunt (Dr) Shirley Summerskill
were both Labour
Members of Parliament
and government ministers. Dr Edith Summerskill, a former Chairman of the UK Labour Party, was an early advocate of Britain's free National Health Service and a vocal campaigner for women's equality. Shirley Summerskill helped introduce the UK's Sex Discrimination Act
, as a Home Office (Interior) minister.
Ben Summerskill is an occasional contributor to The Guardian
, The Independent on Sunday
, The Observer
, The Times, Time Out and other publications.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 6 October 1961, Kent) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, who is the Chief Executive of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual equality organisation Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
, now the largest gay equality body in Europe. He has a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
twin sister, Clare, who is a performer.
Biography
Educated at Cobden Road Infants School, Amherst County Primary School, Sevenoaks SchoolSevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of...
, where he held a scholarship, and Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, where he was an Exhibitioner (holder of a junior scholarship) but which he left after two years without taking a degree. Summerskill evidently disliked Oxford. He later wrote in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
: "I still recall being struck dumb on being shown, as an undergraduate, a note from an Oxford tutor to a successful candidate's father: 'Many thanks for lunch, and the trip in the Rolls.' "
His first career was in the restaurant trade. He was Operations Director from 1987 to 1990 with Kennedy Brookes, by then a publicly-quoted hospitality company, responsible for 300 staff and an £18m turnover at the age of 26. Becoming a journalist in 1990, he rose to the position of Assistant Editor of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper which he joined in 2000 after having worked with Peter Hitchens
Peter Hitchens
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an award-winning British columnist and author, noted for his traditionalist conservative stance. He has published five books, including The Abolition of Britain, A Brief History of Crime, The Broken Compass and most recently The Rage Against God. Hitchens writes for...
and Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at Sherborne School and The University of Cambridge. He is a Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph columnist, author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class, and, with Frances Weaver, the...
as Media Editor for Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
editor Rosie Boycott
Rosie Boycott
Rosel Marie Boycott , better known as Rosie Boycott, is a British journalist and feminist.-Journalism career:Daughter of Major Charles Boycott and Betty Boycott née Le Sueur, Rosel Boycott was born in St Helier, Jersey and was educated at the independent Cheltenham Ladies' College and read...
, and the London Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
under editor and mentor Max Hastings, who like him had left Oxford after two years ,and other magazines.
Summerskill was a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillor for the Westbourne Ward of Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
from 1994 to 1998.
He succeeded former Director Angela Mason
Angela Mason
Angela Margaret Mason CBE is a British civil servant and activist, and a former director of the UK-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lobbying organisation Stonewall...
as Chief Executive of Stonewall in early 2003, expanding its work from parliamentary lobbying into other fields including workplace equality and campaigning against homophobia in schools. He led successful campaigns for repeal of Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
of the Local Government Act, the introduction of Civil Partnership for lesbian and gay people in the UK and the introduction of 2007 protections against discrimination in the provision of "goods and services", covering areas from healthcare and housing to hotels and holidays. He also led a successful parliamentary campaign in 2007-2008 for introduction of a criminal offence of incitement to homophobic hatred and a campaign in 2009-2010 to enable gay people to celebrate civil partnerships in religious premises. He also restored Stonewall to financial good health after a number of very precarious years. (Its turnover was £1.3m in 2003 and £3.8m in 2010, with staff numbers rising from 21 to 60.)
Under his direction Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme, promoting good practice among major UK employers, has grown from 35 to 600 members, employing 5.5 million people between them, ranging from IBM and Tesco to all of Britain's armed services and MI5. Stonewall's Education for All programme, launched in 2005 to help tackle homophobic bullying in Britain's schools, is supported by 70 major teaching and children's organisations.
In 2006, Summerskill was appointed a Commissioner on the Britain's new Equality and Human Rights Commission. He had for three years been a member of a Steering Group advising the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on establishing the Commission, which has statutory powers for the first time to promote equality for lesbian and gay people. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. He was appointed to the committee of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2009. In 2010 he was a finalist as Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2011 he was shortlisted as Britain's Most Admired Charity Chief Executive in the Third Sector Awards.
In July 2009 Summerskill resigned as an EHRC commissioner citing differences over leadership with its chair Trevor Phillips.
Five other commissioners resigned at the same time.
His grandmother (Baroness) Edith Summerskill and his aunt (Dr) Shirley Summerskill
Shirley Summerskill
Shirley Catherine Wynne Summerskill is a British Labour Party politician and former government minister.Summerskill was educated at St Paul's Girls' School and Somerville College, Oxford and trained as a doctor at St. Thomas's Hospital...
were both Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and government ministers. Dr Edith Summerskill, a former Chairman of the UK Labour Party, was an early advocate of Britain's free National Health Service and a vocal campaigner for women's equality. Shirley Summerskill helped introduce the UK's Sex Discrimination Act
Sex Discrimination Act 1975
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which protected men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marriage. The Act concerned employment, training, education, harassment, the provision of goods and services, and the disposal of premises...
, as a Home Office (Interior) minister.
Ben Summerskill is an occasional contributor to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Independent on Sunday
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, The Times, Time Out and other publications.
Ben Jeffrey Peter Summerskill OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 6 October 1961, Kent) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, who is the Chief Executive of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual equality organisation Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
, now the largest gay equality body in Europe. He has a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
twin sister, Clare, who is a performer.
Biography
Educated at Cobden Road Infants School, Amherst County Primary School, Sevenoaks SchoolSevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of...
, where he held a scholarship, and Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, where he was an Exhibitioner (holder of a junior scholarship) but which he left after two years without taking a degree. Summerskill evidently disliked Oxford. He later wrote in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
: "I still recall being struck dumb on being shown, as an undergraduate, a note from an Oxford tutor to a successful candidate's father: 'Many thanks for lunch, and the trip in the Rolls.' "
His first career was in the restaurant trade. He was Operations Director from 1987 to 1990 with Kennedy Brookes, by then a publicly-quoted hospitality company, responsible for 300 staff and an £18m turnover at the age of 26. Becoming a journalist in 1990, he rose to the position of Assistant Editor of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper which he joined in 2000 after having worked with Peter Hitchens
Peter Hitchens
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an award-winning British columnist and author, noted for his traditionalist conservative stance. He has published five books, including The Abolition of Britain, A Brief History of Crime, The Broken Compass and most recently The Rage Against God. Hitchens writes for...
and Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at Sherborne School and The University of Cambridge. He is a Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph columnist, author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class, and, with Frances Weaver, the...
as Media Editor for Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
editor Rosie Boycott
Rosie Boycott
Rosel Marie Boycott , better known as Rosie Boycott, is a British journalist and feminist.-Journalism career:Daughter of Major Charles Boycott and Betty Boycott née Le Sueur, Rosel Boycott was born in St Helier, Jersey and was educated at the independent Cheltenham Ladies' College and read...
, and the London Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
under editor and mentor Max Hastings, who like him had left Oxford after two years ,and other magazines.
Summerskill was a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillor for the Westbourne Ward of Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
from 1994 to 1998.
He succeeded former Director Angela Mason
Angela Mason
Angela Margaret Mason CBE is a British civil servant and activist, and a former director of the UK-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lobbying organisation Stonewall...
as Chief Executive of Stonewall in early 2003, expanding its work from parliamentary lobbying into other fields including workplace equality and campaigning against homophobia in schools. He led successful campaigns for repeal of Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
of the Local Government Act, the introduction of Civil Partnership for lesbian and gay people in the UK and the introduction of 2007 protections against discrimination in the provision of "goods and services", covering areas from healthcare and housing to hotels and holidays. He also led a successful parliamentary campaign in 2007-2008 for introduction of a criminal offence of incitement to homophobic hatred and a campaign in 2009-2010 to enable gay people to celebrate civil partnerships in religious premises. He also restored Stonewall to financial good health after a number of very precarious years. (Its turnover was £1.3m in 2003 and £3.8m in 2010, with staff numbers rising from 21 to 60.)
Under his direction Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme, promoting good practice among major UK employers, has grown from 35 to 600 members, employing 5.5 million people between them, ranging from IBM and Tesco to all of Britain's armed services and MI5. Stonewall's Education for All programme, launched in 2005 to help tackle homophobic bullying in Britain's schools, is supported by 70 major teaching and children's organisations.
In 2006, Summerskill was appointed a Commissioner on the Britain's new Equality and Human Rights Commission. He had for three years been a member of a Steering Group advising the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on establishing the Commission, which has statutory powers for the first time to promote equality for lesbian and gay people. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. He was appointed to the committee of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2009. In 2010 he was a finalist as Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2011 he was shortlisted as Britain's Most Admired Charity Chief Executive in the Third Sector Awards.
In July 2009 Summerskill resigned as an EHRC commissioner citing differences over leadership with its chair Trevor Phillips.
Five other commissioners resigned at the same time.
His grandmother (Baroness) Edith Summerskill and his aunt (Dr) Shirley Summerskill
Shirley Summerskill
Shirley Catherine Wynne Summerskill is a British Labour Party politician and former government minister.Summerskill was educated at St Paul's Girls' School and Somerville College, Oxford and trained as a doctor at St. Thomas's Hospital...
were both Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and government ministers. Dr Edith Summerskill, a former Chairman of the UK Labour Party, was an early advocate of Britain's free National Health Service and a vocal campaigner for women's equality. Shirley Summerskill helped introduce the UK's Sex Discrimination Act
Sex Discrimination Act 1975
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which protected men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marriage. The Act concerned employment, training, education, harassment, the provision of goods and services, and the disposal of premises...
, as a Home Office (Interior) minister.
Ben Summerskill is an occasional contributor to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Independent on Sunday
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, The Times, Time Out and other publications.
Ben Jeffrey Peter Summerskill OBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 6 October 1961, Kent) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
businessman
Businessperson
A businessperson is someone involved in a particular undertaking of activities for the purpose of generating revenue from a combination of human, financial, or physical capital. An entrepreneur is an example of a business person...
and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, who is the Chief Executive of the UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
-based Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual equality organisation Stonewall
Stonewall (UK)
Stonewall is a lesbian, gay and bisexual rights charity in the United Kingdom named after the Stonewall Inn of Stonewall riots fame. Now the largest gay equality organization not only in the UK but in Europe, it was formed in 1989 by political activists and others lobbying against section 28 of the...
, now the largest gay equality body in Europe. He has a lesbian
Lesbian
Lesbian is a term most widely used in the English language to describe sexual and romantic desire between females. The word may be used as a noun, to refer to women who identify themselves or who are characterized by others as having the primary attribute of female homosexuality, or as an...
twin sister, Clare, who is a performer.
Biography
Educated at Cobden Road Infants School, Amherst County Primary School, Sevenoaks SchoolSevenoaks School
Sevenoaks School is an English coeducational independent school located in the town of Sevenoaks, Kent. It is the oldest lay school in the United Kingdom, dating back to 1432. Almost 1,000 day pupils and boarders attend, ranging in age from 11 to 18 years. There are approximately equal numbers of...
, where he held a scholarship, and Merton College, Oxford
Merton College, Oxford
Merton College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, chancellor to Henry III and later to Edward I, first drew up statutes for an independent academic community and established endowments to...
, where he was an Exhibitioner (holder of a junior scholarship) but which he left after two years without taking a degree. Summerskill evidently disliked Oxford. He later wrote in The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
: "I still recall being struck dumb on being shown, as an undergraduate, a note from an Oxford tutor to a successful candidate's father: 'Many thanks for lunch, and the trip in the Rolls.' "
His first career was in the restaurant trade. He was Operations Director from 1987 to 1990 with Kennedy Brookes, by then a publicly-quoted hospitality company, responsible for 300 staff and an £18m turnover at the age of 26. Becoming a journalist in 1990, he rose to the position of Assistant Editor of The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
newspaper which he joined in 2000 after having worked with Peter Hitchens
Peter Hitchens
Peter Jonathan Hitchens is an award-winning British columnist and author, noted for his traditionalist conservative stance. He has published five books, including The Abolition of Britain, A Brief History of Crime, The Broken Compass and most recently The Rage Against God. Hitchens writes for...
and Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne
Peter Oborne is a British journalist and political commentator. He was educated at Sherborne School and The University of Cambridge. He is a Daily Mail and Daily Telegraph columnist, author of The Rise of Political Lying and The Triumph of the Political Class, and, with Frances Weaver, the...
as Media Editor for Daily Express
Daily Express
The Daily Express switched from broadsheet to tabloid in 1977 and was bought by the construction company Trafalgar House in the same year. Its publishing company, Beaverbrook Newspapers, was renamed Express Newspapers...
editor Rosie Boycott
Rosie Boycott
Rosel Marie Boycott , better known as Rosie Boycott, is a British journalist and feminist.-Journalism career:Daughter of Major Charles Boycott and Betty Boycott née Le Sueur, Rosel Boycott was born in St Helier, Jersey and was educated at the independent Cheltenham Ladies' College and read...
, and the London Evening Standard
Evening Standard
The Evening Standard, now styled the London Evening Standard, is a free local daily newspaper, published Monday–Friday in tabloid format in London. It is the dominant regional evening paper for London and the surrounding area, with coverage of national and international news and City of London...
under editor and mentor Max Hastings, who like him had left Oxford after two years ,and other magazines.
Summerskill was a Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
councillor for the Westbourne Ward of Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council
Westminster City Council is the local authority for the City of Westminster in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council and is entitled to be known as a city council, which is a rare distinction in the United Kingdom. The city is divided into 20 wards, each electing three councillors...
from 1994 to 1998.
He succeeded former Director Angela Mason
Angela Mason
Angela Margaret Mason CBE is a British civil servant and activist, and a former director of the UK-based lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender lobbying organisation Stonewall...
as Chief Executive of Stonewall in early 2003, expanding its work from parliamentary lobbying into other fields including workplace equality and campaigning against homophobia in schools. He led successful campaigns for repeal of Section 28
Section 28
Section 28 of the Local Government Act 1988 caused the controversial addition of Section 2A to the Local Government Act 1986 , enacted on 24 May 1988 and repealed on 21 June 2000 in Scotland, and on 18 November 2003 in the rest of Great Britain by section 122 of the Local Government Act 2003...
of the Local Government Act, the introduction of Civil Partnership for lesbian and gay people in the UK and the introduction of 2007 protections against discrimination in the provision of "goods and services", covering areas from healthcare and housing to hotels and holidays. He also led a successful parliamentary campaign in 2007-2008 for introduction of a criminal offence of incitement to homophobic hatred and a campaign in 2009-2010 to enable gay people to celebrate civil partnerships in religious premises. He also restored Stonewall to financial good health after a number of very precarious years. (Its turnover was £1.3m in 2003 and £3.8m in 2010, with staff numbers rising from 21 to 60.)
Under his direction Stonewall's Diversity Champions programme, promoting good practice among major UK employers, has grown from 35 to 600 members, employing 5.5 million people between them, ranging from IBM and Tesco to all of Britain's armed services and MI5. Stonewall's Education for All programme, launched in 2005 to help tackle homophobic bullying in Britain's schools, is supported by 70 major teaching and children's organisations.
In 2006, Summerskill was appointed a Commissioner on the Britain's new Equality and Human Rights Commission. He had for three years been a member of a Steering Group advising the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on establishing the Commission, which has statutory powers for the first time to promote equality for lesbian and gay people. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2009 New Year Honours. He was appointed to the committee of the Queen's Award for Voluntary Service in 2009. In 2010 he was a finalist as Ernst & Young Social Entrepreneur of the Year and in 2011 he was shortlisted as Britain's Most Admired Charity Chief Executive in the Third Sector Awards.
In July 2009 Summerskill resigned as an EHRC commissioner citing differences over leadership with its chair Trevor Phillips.
Five other commissioners resigned at the same time.
His grandmother (Baroness) Edith Summerskill and his aunt (Dr) Shirley Summerskill
Shirley Summerskill
Shirley Catherine Wynne Summerskill is a British Labour Party politician and former government minister.Summerskill was educated at St Paul's Girls' School and Somerville College, Oxford and trained as a doctor at St. Thomas's Hospital...
were both Labour
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
Members of Parliament
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
and government ministers. Dr Edith Summerskill, a former Chairman of the UK Labour Party, was an early advocate of Britain's free National Health Service and a vocal campaigner for women's equality. Shirley Summerskill helped introduce the UK's Sex Discrimination Act
Sex Discrimination Act 1975
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which protected men and women from discrimination on the grounds of sex or marriage. The Act concerned employment, training, education, harassment, the provision of goods and services, and the disposal of premises...
, as a Home Office (Interior) minister.
Ben Summerskill is an occasional contributor to The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
, The Independent on Sunday
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
, The Observer
The Observer
The Observer is a British newspaper, published on Sundays. In the same place on the political spectrum as its daily sister paper The Guardian, which acquired it in 1993, it takes a liberal or social democratic line on most issues. It is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper.-Origins:The first issue,...
, The Times, Time Out and other publications.